Johns Creek High School baseball coach Billy Nicholson was named the North Fulton-Forsyth Touchdown Club's Male Coach of the Year on June 27 at the North Fulton Chamber's Eggs and Enterprise Breakfast.

Eric Douglas of the North Fulton-Forsyth TD Club said the group spent the past school year honoring student athletes for their athletic performances on the field, and also academic and civic involvement. Wednesday was time to honor the Male Sports Coach of the Year "who has dedicated his life to his sport, his students and his athletes."

Roger Wise of the University of Phoenix and a North Fulton-Forsyth TD Club board member, also arranged for Ga. Secretary of State Brian Kemp to give Nicolson recognition during the breakfast meeting at The Metropolitan Club.

Johns Creek High's varsity baseball team got its start just three years ago, Douglas said, going 18-10 in its inaugural season and winning the Ga. Dugout Club Championship. In 2010-2011, the first year the team was in region play, it narrowly missed a spot in the playoffs on a tiebreaker. But in the past year, Johns Creek went 27-8, was the Region 7 AAAA champion and made it to the semifinals in state AAAA championship play.

Nicholson was named Region Coach of the Year, and Atlanta Braves Fan Club Coach of the Year as well.

In addition to being a coach for baseball and girls softball, he's an assistant athletic director at the school and serves as IT liaison for the Healthy and Physical Education Department at the school. He volunteers with Relay for Life and spends his summer working with minor league clubs, teaching hitting and other skills.

Nicholson wasn't the only person honored at the breakfast meeting. Douglas said two years ago when he was approached to start the North Fulton-Forsyth TD Club, "we really started with an idea."

When organizers walked into the office of Freda Hardage of Northside Hospital, she not only promised support, she delivered with a check Douglas said they didn't ask for in the meeting.

So they honored her with a football jersey from the club's Chamber All Stars game.cc